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06/13/2005 Unmuzzling the Citizens (Ed Goppelt)

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• Hallwatch News

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Mark Cohen & Mary Tracy
2005/06/13 Rep. Mark Cohen (2nd from left) announced legislation yesterday which would give Philadelpians their voices back in zoning disputes. Cohen's HB 1698 would repeal the zoning amendment added to HB 1954 in the waning days of last year's legislative session. At yesterday's City Hall press conference, Cohen called the zoning measure "a cynical attempt to take away the right of citizens to have a meaningful say in neighborhood zoning decisions--a cynical attempt to silence the citizen."

Originally, HB 1954 was intended to authorize the City to raise its fines, but the stealth zoning provision--introduced at the request of the Billboard industry-- took away the right of any Philadelphian to appeal decisions made by the City's Zoning Board of Adjustment.

The two State representatives most responsible for its passage, Speaker John Perzel and Rep. John Taylor argue that the zoning provision protects the interests of ordinary citizens, in addition to those of the Billboard industry. In emails sent to their constituents the two powerful legislators have defended their actions by arguing that HB 1954 ensures that neighbors voices will be heard by preventing other City residents from sticking their nose into local zoning disputes.

However, community groups and the newspapers perceive HB 1954 as a yet another attempt to silence community groups and residents who want to have a say in how their neighborhoods are developed. SCRUB Executive Director Mary Tracy (shown gagged in the photo) has taken the lead in restoring the right of any Philadelphia taxpayer to appeal zoning decisions.

More info

• Rep. Cohen's remarks
• View parody poster comparing HB 1954 to Silence of the Lambs
• Read CCRA President Lou Coffey's remarks

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Representatives of civic groups wait for press conference to start
2005/06/13 About 50 people attended, many of them representatives of civic groups from around the City.

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Roseanne Adams & Jovida Hill
2005/06/13 Adams is Executive Director of the Northern Liberties Neighbors Association, Hill is active in local politics and runs a media production company.

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2005/06/13

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Deborah King & Lenora Berson
2005/06/13 King lives in Northern Liberties; Berson has long been active in City politics. As Mayor Goode's City Representative she created the Book and the Cook festival and is married to Center City Ward Leader Norman Berson.

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2005/06/13

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Lou Coffey
2005/06/13 Coffey is President of the Center City Residents Association. Read Coffey's remarks.

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John Gallery
2005/06/13 Gallery is director of the Preservation Alliance.

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Lorna Katz Lawson
2005/06/13 Lawson spoke on behalf of the Society Hill Civic Assocation. An architect, she told the crowd how HB 1954 was used against her neighborhood group in a recent court case involving preservation of a historic building.

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Farah Jimenez
2005/06/13 Jimenez is Executive Director of Mt. Airy USA, a group which seeks to revitalize the commercial corridor in Mt. Airy.

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C. Matthew Hudson, Jr.
2005/06/13 Pastor Hudson spoke for the St. Paul's Baptist Church Community Center.

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John Kline
2005/06/13 Kline spoke for Dungen Civic.

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Marc Stier
2005/06/13 Stier spoke in his role as President of West Mount Airy Neighbors. He is also a Professor of Poly Sci at Temple and was one of the founders of Neighborhood Networks, an ambitious effort to organize neighbors citywide.